Bead stringing machine



July 20, 1937. RQBY AL 2,087,481

BEAD STRINGING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 v Fig.1

. 314004113000 KENNETH K. RUBY PfiUL A- CLARK July 20, 1937. K. K. ROBY ET AL 2,037,431

' BEAD STBINGING MACHINE Filed June :50, 19:55 s Sheets-Sheet 5 gwwmtou.

' KEI/NET/l K. R05) 2402. 7L CLARK Patented Jul 20, 1937 PATENT OFFICE BEAD STRINGING MACHINE Kenneth R. Roby, li/Iinneapolis, and Paul A.

Clark, St. Paul, Minn; said Roby assignor to said Clark Application June 30, 1933, Serial No. 678,530

16 Claims.

- The'present invention relates to a mechanism for automatically stacking perforated articles in such manner that the perforations therein are in alignment and is particularly directed towards a mechanism for stacking small insulating beads which are adapted to be strung upon electrical conductors whereby the conductors retain their flexibility but are well insulated from direct contact with adjacent exposed surfaces.

The beads for which the machine of the present invention has been particularly designed are of the type which are substantiallycylindrical and having a hole running through the axis of the cylinder, one end oi the bead being convex whereas the other end of the bead is correspondingly concave whereby the convex end of one bead is adapted to be received within the concave end of an adjacent bead with the holes through the beads in respect to the opening in the hopper is an elec- .trically driven paddle wheel which is placed in the hopper and is adapted to sweep the articles over the opening in the hopper.

The holder, in the particular embodiment of; the invention .to be hereinafter described, comprises a tubular member located below the opening in the hopper so that the articles, as they pass through the opening in the hopper, fall into 40 the tubular member in the proper desired position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a hopper having a plurality oi openings therein for allowing the passage of articles there through, together with a plurality of holders, one for each opening, in combination witha single discharge means which cooperates with the plurality of holders in such a manner that any of the holders may be discharged of its articles at will. Specifically, the holders comprise a part 50 of a rotatable carriage which, upon rotation, successively brings the various holders into cooperatlve relationship with the discharge mechanism Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

l6 For a more complete understanding of the inprising the instant invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the hopper, carriage, and discharge mechanism,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the hopper taken about on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken through the 10 carriage abouton the line 4l of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a supporting base indicated at l0 supports a hopper generally indicated at H, a carriage generally indicated at i2, a discharge mechanism generally indicated at l3, and the other associated apparatus to be hereinafter described.

vReferring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the hopper comprises a cylindrical casting H having open ends, the upper end being closed ofi by a removable cover i5 and the lower end .being closed. oil by a rotatable hopper. bottom plate IS. The hopper bottom plate I6 is provided with a plurality of spaced openings i1 which are substantially equally spaced about a circle whose center coincides with the center of cylindrical casting l5. Each of the openings I! has two substantially parallel sides l8, one oi the ends is being curved whereas the other end is formed with an inwardly extending tongue 20. V I 30,

The hopper bottom plate l6 rests upon and is secured to a horizontally disposed upper car riage plate 2| which is provided with a plurality of cylindrical vertical openings 22 oneof which is disposed directly below each of the openings I! in the hopper bottom plate l6. 'Ihe lower portions of openings 22 areexpanded and each of these expanded portions receives the upper end of a vertical tube 23. The lower ends of each or the tubes 23 are received by openings formed 40 in a lower carriage plate 24 which is pivotally mounted upon a carriage supporting plate 25.

Thetubes 23, have a relatively loose lit in the openings 22 in upper carriage plate 2! and the openings formed in'the lower carriage plate 2i and these tubes completely pass through carriage plate 24 and rest upon carriage supporting plate 25. The carriage comprising the upper and lower carriage plates 2i and 24 and the tubes 23, to; gether with the integral hopper bottom plate ii, are rotatable-as a unit about the center 01 the circle formed by the spaced openings l1 for a purpose which will be hereinafter described. Each of: the tubes 23 is provided with one or more sight openings 26. Upper and lower carriage plates 2| and 24 are secured together by rods 24A.

The hopper casing I4 is carried by supporting base l0 by means of a bracket 21 and the carriage supporting plate 26 is similarly secured to supporting base III by means of a bracket 26.

An electric motor 29 is provided with an extended shaft 30 which extends through the cover I 5 of. hopper H and also extends through the hopper bottom plate I6 and upper carriage plate 2|. Mounted upon shaft 36 and within hopper ii is a paddle wheel 3| which is provided with a plurality of paddles 32.

In operating the above described mechanism,

the cover I 5 of hopper H is removed and the hopper-is supplied with a plurality of beads such as the one indicated at 33, it being noted that the bead 33 is substantially cylindrical and has a hole 34 running through its center, one of the bead ends being convex whereas the other is concave. The motor 29 is placed into operation and rotates paddle wheel. 3| and paddles 32 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The paddles 32 move the beads around hopper bottom plate l6 and likewise moves them outwardly towards the "periphery thereof. As the beads are swept across the opening i1, some of them will present their concave ends to the tongues 20 of the openings ll whereupon such beads will fall through the openings l1 and enter the corresponding tubes 23,

taking the position of the bead 33 shown in Fig. 2 wherein theconcave end of the bead is turned upwardly. The next succeeding bead 'to pass through the corresponding openings l1 and enter the associated tube 23 will likewise enter the particular tube 23 with its concave end turned upwardly whereby its lower convex end will enter the concave end of the bead below it. In this manner, the beads are stacked in the tubes 23 with the convex end of each bead entering the concave end of the next adjacent bead and with the holes 34 through all of the beads in alignment.

The discharge mechanism l3 comprises a plate 35 which slides in a radial opening formed in carriage supporting plate 26. The end of discharge plate 35 is provided with a bent over end 36 which enters a hole 31 formed in carriage supporting plate 25 whereby the limits of. movement of discharge plate 36 are predetermined.

When the carriage plate 36 is pulled Olitjlf its extreme position an elongated slot 33 therein is positioned directly underneath one of the tubes 23. Upon inward movement of discharge plate 35 a circular opening 33, which connects with elongated opening 38, is brought underneath one of the tubes 23. This circular opening 33 is large enough to allow the passage of the beads 33 therethrough.

After the apparatus has been in operation for a sufllcient-period of time, some of the tubes 23 will become filled with beads stacked in the manner hereinbei'ore set out as can be determined by viewing the tubes 23 through the sight openings 26. When it is desired to discharge one of the tubes 23, the carriage 2 is rotated until the lower end of the particular, tube which it is desired. to discharge is brought above the elongated slot 38 in carriage plate 35. The wire or rod upon which it is desired to string the beads contained in the particular tube 23, or -a needle which may be thereafter used to string the desired conducting wire through the beads, is placed in slot 38 and moved up into the tube 23 through the openings 34 in the beads stacked in such tube. The discharge plate 36 is thereupon moved inwardly so as to bring its circular opening 33 in registry with the bottom of the tube 23 whereupon the beads 33 contained therein may be lowered out of the tube and will be found to be threaded upon the rod or wire previously inserted.

By repeating the above described operation, each and every one of the tubes 23 may be discharged I whenever filled or at any other desiredinterval.

The discharge plate 35 is provided with a portubes 23 whereby upon movement of the discharge'plate 36 to discharge one of the tubes 23,

that particular tube is received in the semi-circular opening 4| so that the tube 23 is properly positioned in relation to the circular opening 33 for discharge purposes and the complete carriage I2 is prevented from rotation during this discharge action.

In order to facilitate the entering of the beads 33 into the opening II, it has been found desirable to agitate the beads 33 in addition to moving them by the paddles 32. In this particular embodiment of the invention, this agitation is accomplished by a motor 42 which is secured to the bent over end 43 of bracket 26. The

shaft 43 of motor 42 supports an eccentric weight 44 with the result that upon rotation of shaft 43, the motor 42 and associated parts are caused to vibrate. This vibration is imparted to the beads 33 in the hopper II and is also imparted to the beads 33 contained in the tubes 23. The vibration thus imparted to these beads-facilitates their moving around into such a position that their concave ends pass over the tongues 26 of the openings |1, pass through the openings l1, and into the tubes 23.

It should be noted that beads of this type must be stacked with a particular end of one bead adjacent-a particular end of the next bead and this is accomplished by the provision of. the tongues 20 'whereby the beads 33 may only pass through the openings I! in one direction and whereby those ends engaged by the tongues 20 are momentarily prevented from passing through the openings I! with the result that the convex end first moves through the opening I! and drops into the vertical tubes 23 whereby the beads always enter the tubes 23 with their concave ends turned upwardly.

The mechanism which has been hereinabove described when equipped with 24 hopper openings and 24 tubes has been found to stack in-' sulating beads as small as inch in diameter and about inch in length at the rate of about 5,500 an hour and an operator is continuously kept busy in discharging the beads in the tubes 23.

From the foregoing description, it will be quite apparent that the present invention provides novel mechanism for stacking similar articles of any type and isparticularly adapted to the stacking of perforated beads having an irregular configuration. While the specific embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosed, itis to be understood that many minor changes could be made therein and we intend to be limited only in the purview oi tl'ie appended claims.

We claim:

1. A device of the class described for Stringing elongated perforated articles, comprising. in combeing movable with respect to the conduit strucconduit as a unit to cause the articles in said to pass therethrough into said collecting means.-

11. A device for positioning articles comprising a hopper having in its bottom portion a series of spaced openings, a series of collecting conduits beneath said hopper, the inlets to said conduits being in registration with the openings in the hopper, means for rotating thebottom portion of said hopper and said collecting conduit as a unit, means abutting the outlet ends of said conduits for preventing said articles from passing therethrough, said 'means being movable relatively to the conduit structure and having therein a gate adapted to be brought into registration with said conduits selectively to permit discharge of articles from said conduits.

12. A device of the class a hopper having in its bottom portion a. series of spaced openings, a series of collecting conduits beneath said hopper, the inlets to said conduits being in registration with the openings in the hopper, means for rotating the bottom portion of said hopper and said collecting conduit as a unit, means rotatable with said conduits and abutting the outlet ends thereof for preventing said articles from passing therefrom, said means ture and having therein a gate adapted to be brought into registration with said-conduits selectively to permit discharge of articles from said conduits.

13; A device for positioning elongated articles comprising a hopper having. a rotatable bottom plane, said opening being adapted to receive said portion, an elongated opening in said bottom portion spaced from the axis of rotation and having its minor axis disposed substantially in a radial articles and allow them to' fall therethrough, means adjacent said opening for retarding the falling movement of one end of said articles reladescribed, comprising tively to the other, and means beneath said opening for collecting said articles.

" 14. A device for positioning elongated articles comprising a hopper having a rotatable bottom portion, an elongated opening in said bottom portion spaced from the axis of rotation and having its minor axis disposed substantially in a. radial plane, said opening being adapted to receive said articles and allow them to falltherethrough, and means-beneath said opening for collecting said articles.

15. In a bead stringing device, the combination of a hopper adapted to contain a plurality of perforated articles, a stacking structure having a plurality of vertical stacking channels, me'ans for delivering the perforated articles from said hopper into said stacking channels withtheir perforations in alignment, means for retaining the thereby aligned perforated articles in said. stacking channels, and discharge means cooperating with the retaining means arranged' for selective discharge of said articles from said channels, said discharge means being relatively shiftable and including means for permitting the insertion of .a member to be strung through the aligned perforations of said articles while they are held in said stacking channels.

16. In a bead stringing device, the combination of a hopper adapted to contain a plurality of perforated articles, a stacking structure having a vertical stacking channel, means for delivering the perforated articles from said hopper into said stacking channel with their perforations in alignment, means for retaining the perforated articles in said stacking channel while permitting a memberto be strung to be inserted through the aligned perforations .of saidarticles, andmean'sfor releasing said articles from said channel.

KENNETH K. ROBY. PAUL A. CLARK. 

